Cyrille Duquet (31 March 1841—1 December 1922) was a Canadian goldsmith, flutist, and inventor in Quebec. Originally working in the field of clocks and watches, he was also a passionate jewelry collector. On 1 February 1878, Duquet was granted a Canadian patent for a

telephone receiver A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...

, that was used in some early types of handsets. This patent was for a new transmitter based on a cluster of permanent magnets that improved signal clarity, and a new mouthpiece design. Later, Duquet worked on combining transmitter and receiver in one unit, arranged both on each end of a board. The first telephone installed in Montreal was one Duquet designed, and he installed other phones and phone lines in the area. At about the same time as

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

, Duquet developed a telephone connecting his home and shop. Bell's father, Melville Bell, responsible for the Canadian interests of Alexander Graham Bell, who had recently moved to Boston, offered to sell Duquet rights to the telephone in Canada for $20,000. Unable to raise this colossal sum, Duquet abandoned all interests to the Canadian Telephone Company in 1882. Fleetford Charles Sise, vice-president of the Canadian Telephone Company, complained that Cyrille Duquet had stolen Bell's design. Mr. Duquet was sued for $5000, but got away with damages of about $10; he sold his invention for $2,100 and a promise to cease working in the field of telephony. However, Duquet is still recognized as the designer of the telephone receiver. A photo of his phone is available in the collections of Libraries and Archives Canada and the original phone is currently stored at

Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in t ...

. An exact replica of the apparatus manufactured and marketed by Cyrille Duquet in 1878 was made by Bell Canada as a gift to Duquet's granddaughter. In 1883 Duquet made the

black rod Black Rod (officially known as the Lady Usher of the Black Rod or, if male, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parliam ...

, a symbol of authority, today preserved at the National Assembly in Quebec City. The main clock of the National Assembly of Quebec bears his signature, as does the clock of Saint-Jean-Baptiste library. A government building located on Charest Boulevard in Quebec City was named in his honor, and a Quebec street bears his name. An excellent flutist, Cyrille Duquet was a member of the Haydn Septet, a virtuoso ensemble, some of whom joined the Société symphonique de Québec (now Quebec Symphony Orchestra) in 1903. Duquet was a

municipal councilor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

in Quebec from 1883 to 1890 and 1900 to 1908. He died in Quebec, on 1 December 1922 at the age of 81 years. He was buried in Notre-Dame-de-Belmont.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Duquet, Cyril Canadian inventors 1841 births 1922 deaths 19th-century Canadian inventors Musicians from Quebec City History of telecommunications 19th-century Canadian musicians 19th-century Canadian politicians Canadian flautists Quebec City councillors